FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Do Principal Investigators (PIs) need to have a PhD degree to apply to an ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) call for proposals?

A:

The ERC Synergy Grant (SyG) funding scheme imposes very little eligibility constraints on applicants. A PhD degree is not formally required. However, please be aware that this is an extremely competitive call.
More information about the ERC-2018-SYG Grant Call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: For an ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG), should the core of the research be organised in the corresponding Host Institution?

A:

There are no specific constraints in this respect. The corresponding Host Institution is the one hosting the corresponding Principal Investigator (PI). As this PI is the 'leader' or 'primus inter pares' for the project, it is expected that a significant portion of the research is carried out there.
More information about the ERC-2018-SYG Grant Call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: For an ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) call for proposals, should all Host Institutions involved submit a support letter?

A:

No, only a support letter from the corresponding Host Institution is required, i.e. from the institution hosting the corresponding Principal Investigator (PI).
Please, see the Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2018 Call for more details.

Q: Which panel should be chosen when applying to an ERC Synergy Grant call (ERC-2018-SyG)?

A:

Applications to a Synergy Grant (SyG) call should indicate only keywords and not panels (cf. ERC Work Programme 2018).

Q: Are there Co-investigators in ERC Synergy (ERC-2018-SyG) proposals?

A:

No, the concept of Co-investigator does not exist in the context of a SyG. All Principal Investigators (PIs) have equal status, although there is a Corresponding Principal Investigator (cPI) designated to be the administrative contact with the ERCEA.
More information about the ERC-2018-SYG Grant Call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: Can a Principal Investigator (PI) applying to an ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) have a team working with them?

A:

Yes, for ERC SyG, each PI can work with a team and/or collaborators who are either in their own institution or in different organisations.
More information about the ERC-2018-SYG Grant Call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: Do all of the Principal Investigators (PIs) applying to an ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) need to be affiliated to a Host Institution?

A:

Yes, any Principal Investigator (PI) involved in a Synergy Grant (SyG) proposal must be affiliated to a Host Institution established in one of the EU Member States or H2020 Associated Countries for at least the full duration of the project. The Principal Investigators (PIs) must also spend 50% of their time in Europe.
Institutions outside Europe may be involved, and may even receive funding provided that their participation is deemed essential for carrying out the action, but only as additional partners under the heading of one of the European based PIs. In addition, their presence must be well justified in the proposal.
More information about the ERC-2018-SYG Grant Call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: How many Principal Investigators (PIs) can apply to an ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG)?

A:

For an ERC SyG, minimum two and maximum four Principal Investigators (PIs) can apply.
More information about the ERC-2018-SYG Grant Call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: What are the required profiles of researchers to apply to an ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) call?

A:

Any profile as long as the Principal Investigators (PIs) applying to the ERC-2018-SYG call have competitive track records appropriate to their career stage. PIs must then present, as part of the proposal, either an early achievement track-record or a 10-year track-record, whichever is most appropriate for their career stage (cf. Starting, Consolidator, Advanced Grant profiles in the ERC Work Programme 2018).

No, there are no specific constraints on the type of configuration. Being located in two different countries will not affect the chance of success. For SyG the PIs have to demonstrate convincingly that there will be significant synergies and sufficient time spent together in close collaboration.
More information about the ERC-2018-SYG Grant Call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: Are there any restrictions on the location of the Host Institutions (HIs) or Principal Investigators (PIs) applying to an ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG)?

A:

Principals Investigators (PIs) can work at the same Host Institution (HI), or at different HIs within one country or at HIs based in different countries, as long as they are established in an EU Member State or H2020 Associated Countries.
More information about the ERC-2018-SYG Grant Call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: Should a proposal to the call ERC-2018-SyG be only a successful collaboration?

A:

Not only. The ultimate goal of the ERC SyG scheme is to allow for a close and genuine collaborative interaction that will enable transformative research at the forefront of science, capable of yielding unpredictable and ground-breaking scientific results and/or cross-fertilizing disciplines, leading to a result that is more than just the sum of Principal Investigators (PIs)' individual contributions.
More information about the ERC-2018-SYG Grant Call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: Are Principal Investigators (PIs) interviewed during the evaluation of the ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) call?

A:

Yes, for Synergy Grants (SyG), all Principal Investigators (PIs) whose proposal has been retained after step 2 will be invited to an interview in Brussels (in the third evaluation step).

Q: Is it possible to apply to the ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) call if the same PI also intends to apply to an ERC Starting (StG), Consolidator (CoG) or Advanced Grant (AdG) call?

A:

Similarly to other ERC frontier calls, a Principal Investigator (PI) may submit proposals to different ERC frontier research calls published under the same Work Programme, but only the first eligible proposal will be evaluated. Ineligible or withdrawn proposals do not count against this limit (ERC Work Programme 2018, page 19).
Thus, if a PI applies to the ERC 2018 SyG call and the proposal is eligible and evaluated, their other application to a StG, CoG or AdG call under the ERC Work Programme 2018, will not be evaluated.
The year in the ERC call ID refers to the relevant ERC Work Programme year. For example, the call ERC-2018-SyG belongs to the ERC Work Programme 2018.
Example:
The ERC AdG 2018 call will not be evaluated if the PI had already applied to the ERC 2018 SyG call and the proposal was considered eligible, even if the call deadlines are in two different calendar years (in 2017 for SyG 2018 call and in 2018 for the AdG 2018 call).
However, it is possible to apply both to the ERC AdG 2017 call and to the ERC 2018 SyG call.

Q: If the corresponding Principal Investigator (cPI) of a Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) proposal is based in the EU, can one of the other PIs be based in a third country?

A:

Although ERC grants are open to researchers from any country in the world, all researchers who apply as Principal Investigators (PIs) have to undertake their ERC-funded research in an EU Member State or H2020 Associated Countries. Specifically, each PI has to spend at least 50% of the full equivalent time in an EU Member State or Associated Country and to devote at least 30% of their total working time to the ERC-funded project. For more information, please refer to the Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2018 Call.

Q: Are the eligibility conditions for the Principal Investigator (PI) submitting a Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) applicable to all PIs?

A:

The eligibility criteria, including the restrictions for submission, need to be fulfilled by all Principal investigators (PIs) submitting a SyG proposal (see pages 16-17 of the ERC Work Programme 2018). Please also note that a PI may participate as PI in only one ERC frontier research project at any one time.

Q: May a Principal Investigator (PI) whose proposal was evaluated as category C in a 2016 or 2017 call (StG/CoG/AdG) submit a proposal to an ERC 2018 call (StG/CoG/AdG/SyG)?

A:

A Principal Investigator (PI) whose proposal was evaluated as category C in the 2016 or 2017 Starting (StG), Consolidator (CoG) or Advanced ( AdG) calls may submit a proposal to the 2018 Synergy Grant (SyG) call, but may not submit a proposal to the 2018 Starting (StG), Consolidator (CoG) or Advanced (AdG) calls.

Q: May a Principal Investigator (PI) whose proposal was evaluated as category B at step 1 in an ERC 2017 call (StG/CoG/AdG) submit a proposal to an ERC 2018 call (StG/CoG/AdG/SyG)?

A:

A Principal Investigator (PI) whose proposal was evaluated as category B at step 1 in the 2017 Starting (StG), Consolidator (CoG) or Advanced (AdG) calls may submit a proposal to the 2018 Synergy Grant (SyG) call, but may not submit a proposal to the 2018 Starting (StG), Consolidator (CoG) or Advanced (AdG) calls.

Q: May a Principal Investigator (PI) whose proposal was evaluated as category A or category B at step 2 in an ERC 2017 call (StG/CoG/AdG) submit a proposal to an ERC 2018 call (StG/CoG/AdG/SyG)?

A:

Yes, a Principal Investigator (PI) whose proposal was evaluated as category A or category B at step 2 in the 2017 Starting (StG), Consolidator (CoG) or Advanced (AdG) calls may submit a proposal to the 2018 calls.

Q: Under call ERC-2018-SyG, what are the restrictions for the resubmission of an ERC Synergy Grant?

A:

For the SyG 2018 call there are no restictions in place for applicants who submitted previous unsuccessful ERC applications. The ERC Work Programme 2018 indicates the possible future restrictions that the ERC Scientific Council intends to apply.
Those restrictions (when in place) will affect all Principal Investigators (PIs) and not only the Corresponding Principal Investigator (cPI).
However, please note that a Principal Investigator (PI) whose proposal was rejected on the grounds of a breach of research integrity in the 2016 or 2017 ERC calls may not submit a proposal to the 2018 ERC calls.
(Please, see pages 19-20 of the ERC Work Programme 2018 to see other possible restrictions on the submission).

Q: Is it possible to apply to the ERC Synergy Grant (ERC-2018-SyG) for a Principal Investigator (PI) who holds an ongoing ERC grant?

A:

A Principal Investigator (PI) may hold only one ERC grant at any time. A new frontier research project can only start after the duration of the project fixed in a previous frontier research grant agreement has ended (ERC Work Programme 2018 page 19). These eligibility requirements are the same as for the other frontier research grants.
However, grantees can submit a proposal to the SyG call for proposals if their existing project ends no more than two years after the SyG call deadline (ERC Work Programme 2018 page 20). For the SyG 2018 call, this means that the current grant has to end before 14 November 2019.

Q: Under call ERC-2018-SyG, where is it possible to find information on the ERC Synergy Grants ?

A:

The information about the ERC Synergy Grants (SyG) can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2018, in the Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2018 Call, through the Participant Portal, in the Information Package of the submission webpage for the relevant call and through the ERC website.

Q: What type of feedback will applicant be receiving during and after evaluation for a proposal submitted to the ERC Starting Grant 2018 (ERC-2018-STG) call?

A:

During each step of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 evaluation, the two main elements of the proposal (Principal Investigator and research project) will be evaluated and rated. At the end of each evaluation step the proposals will be ranked by the panels on the basis of the marks they have received and on the panels' overall appreciation of each proposal's strengths and weaknesses.
At the end of Step 1 of the evaluation, on the basis of the assessment of Part B 1 of the proposal, applicants will be informed that their proposal:
A. is of sufficient quality to pass to Step 2 of the evaluation;
B. is of high quality but not sufficient to pass to Step 2 of the evaluation; or
C. is not of sufficient quality to pass to Step 2 of the evaluation.
At the end of Step 2 of the evaluation, on the basis of the assessment of the full proposal, applicants will be informed that their proposal either:
A. fully meets the ERC's excellence criterion and is recommended for funding if sufficient funds are available; or
B. meets some but not all elements of the ERC's excellence criterion and will not be funded.More information on the results of the peer review evaluation can be found at section 3.7 of the ERC Rules for Submission and Evaluation.

Applicants may also be subject to restrictions on submitting proposals to future ERC calls based on the outcome of the evaluation. Applicants will need to check the restrictions in place for each call (for 2018 calls see restrictions on submission of proposals under 'Eligibility criteria'of the ERC Work Programme 2018.
In addition, once the evaluation of their proposal has been completed, applicants will receive an evaluation report which will include the ranking range of their proposal out of the proposals evaluated by the panel (for more details, see Information for applicants to the Starting and Consolidator Grant 2018 Calls).
More information on the evaluation procedure can also be found in the ERC Work Programme 2018 section relevant to the call.

Q: Under call ERC-2018-STG, should the applicant provide the names and the Curriculum Vitae of the team members in the proposal ?

A:

The CVs of individual team members should not be included. Although it is not mandatory to provide the names of individual team members, the proposal should describe the composition of the team that will carry out the proposed activities.Further explanations can be found in the Information for the applicants of the Starting and Consolidator 2018 Grants.

Q: Do peer reviewers receive all parts of a proposal in the case of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 (ERC-2018-STG) call?

A:

For the ERC Starting Grant 2018, Step 1 of the peer review evaluation process is based only on the extended synopsis, the Principal Investigator's CV and the track record (Part B1 only), and peer reviewers do not have access to the full scientific proposal. At Step 2, the peer reviewers base their assessment on the complete version of the retained proposals, including the full scientific proposal (Part B2).For more information on the evaluation process, please refer to the ERC Work Programme 2018 (section 'Evaluation procedure and criteria').

According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 call, the applicant must choose a primary evaluation panel and may also indicate a secondary evaluation panel. They should indicate when they believe that their proposal is of a cross-panel or cross-domain nature.
In most cases the proposal will be evaluated by the primary panel indicated by the applicant. However, if the scope of a proposal does not correspond to the expertise of the primary panel, the proposal can be reallocated to another panel, if the panel chairs of the original and the new panel agree to do so.

Q: According to the conditions applied to the ERC Grants 2018, can a researcher participate as PI in more than one ERC frontier research proposal at the same time? Is it possible to receive funding for more than one participation in such case?

A:

According to the conditions applied to the ERC frontier research Grants 2018 (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, Synergy), there are three main restrictions to be considered for Principal Investigators in this regard:

A Principal Investigator may submit proposals to different ERC frontier research grant calls published under the same Work Programme, but only the first eligible proposal will be evaluated.
A researcher may participate as Principal Investigator[Including all Principal Investigators supported under the Synergy Grant in ERC Work Programmes 2012 – 2013 ] in only one ERC frontier research project at any one time [NB A new frontier research project can only start after the duration of the project fixed in a previous frontier research grant agreement has ended.]
A researcher participating as Principal Investigator in an ERC frontier research project may not submit a proposal for another ERC frontier research grant, unless the existing project ends [NB According to the duration of the project fixed in the previous frontier research grant agreement] no more than two years after the call deadline. .

These restrictions are specified in the ERC Work Programme 2018 and may be modified in future work programmes by the ERC Scientific Council in light of experience. As a team member, it is possible to participate in more than one ERC grant.

Q: If a Principal Investigator only has a Master Degree and no PhD, can they apply to the ERC Starting Grant 2018 (ERC-2018-STG) call?

A:

No, according to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 call, the Principal Investigator must have been awarded a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree to be eligible. First-professional degrees will not be considered in themselves as PhD-equivalent, even if recipients carry the title "Doctor".
For more information please consult the ERC policy on PhD and equivalent doctoral degrees in the ERC Work Programme 2018, Annex 2.

Q: According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 (ERC-2018-STG) call, for medical doctors who hold both a medical doctor degree and a PhD, which degree will be taken into consideration for the calculation of the eligibility window?

A:

According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 call, for medical doctors who have been awarded both a medical doctor degree and a PhD, the date of the earliest degree that makes the applicant eligible takes precedence in the calculation of the eligibility time-window (2-7 years after the date of award of the PhD or 4-9 years past the medical doctor degree completion for Starters).
For more information please consult the ERC policy on PhD and equivalent doctoral degrees in the ERC Work Programme 2018 – Annex 2.

Q: According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 (ERC-2018-STG) call, is a Medical Doctor degree equivalent to a PhD degree?

A:

According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 (ERC-2018-STG) call, for medical doctors (or applicants holding a degree in medicine), a medical doctor degree will not be accepted by itself as equivalent to a PhD award. To be considered an eligible Principal Investigator, medical doctors (or applicants holding a degree in medicine) need to provide the certificates of both a medical doctor degree and a PhD or proof of an appointment that requires doctoral equivalency (e.g. post-doctoral fellowship, professorship appointment). Additionally, candidates must also provide information on their research experience (including peer reviewed publications) in order to further substantiate the equivalence of their overall training to a PhD. In these cases, the certified date of the medical doctor degree completion plus two years is the time reference for calculation of the eligibility time-window (i.e. 4-9 years past the medical doctor degree for Starters).
For more information, see section 'Eligibility criteria' of the ERC Work Programme 2018 .

Q: According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 call (ERC-2018-STG), which is the date to be considered for the granting of the PhD (or equivalent degree)?

A:

According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 call (ERC-2018-STG), the reference date for calculating the eligibility period should be the date of the actual award according to the national rules in the country where the degree was awarded.
In the case of applicants having been awarded several PhDs, the reference date is the award date of the first PhD.
For more information, see section 'Eligibility criteria' of the ERC Work Programme 2018 .

Q: According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 call, what will happen if the PhD certificate is not submitted together with the proposal?

A:

According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 call, as long as no PhD document or equivalent is uploaded in the Participant Portal Submission Service, it will not be possible to validate/submit the proposal. A warning message will inform the applicant of the missing document. If another document is uploaded instead and the PhD certificate is missing the ERCEA may contact the PI and ask for a clarification and the missing document.
For more information, see section 'Eligibility criteria' of the ERC Work Programme 2018 .

Q: According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 call, what are eligible career breaks that are considered for the extension of the eligibility window?

A:

According to the conditions of the ERC Starting Grant 2018 call, eligible career breaks that can be considered for the extension of the eligibility window are:
Maternity or paternity leave,
Long-term illness (over ninety days for the Principal Investigator or a close family member),
Clinical training,
National service.
All these circumstances need to be properly documented. Please find below examples of such documents:

For maternity: a birth certificate/passport of the child (ren), family book or any other official document where the link between the PI and the child (ren) is indicated.

For paternity leave taken: an official testimonial from employer or state benefit record certifying the actual duration of the paternity leave. The total number of days and the exact dates need to be specified. Part-time paternity leave is also accepted.
For clinical training: (an) official testimonial(s) certifying the actual duration(s) of the clinical (specialty) training(s)
For long-term illness (over ninety days),the documentation of the periods of medical / sick leaves must be issued by an official authority (e.g. the applicant's employer, health insurances, etc.) or by an authorised person such as the physician of the applicant (medical certificates).
For national service: only the documented amount of leave taken for national service will be considered if they are issued by an official authority.
For more information, see section 'Eligibility criteria' of the ERC Work Programme 2018 .

Q: According to the conditions applied to the ERC frontier research Grants 2018 (StG / CoG / AdG / SyG), can a Principal Investigator (PI) cover this role in more than one proposal at the same time?

A:

According to the conditions applied to the ERC frontier research Grants 2018, there are three main restrictions to be considered for PIs in this regard:
- A PI may submit proposals to different ERC frontier research Grant calls made under the same Work Programme, but only the first eligible proposal will be evaluated.
- A researcher may participate as PI or Co-Investigator in only one ERC frontier research project at any one time.(NB: A new frontier research project can only start after the duration of the project fixed in a previous frontier research grant agreement has ended).
- A researcher participating as PI in an ERC frontier research project may not submit a proposal for another ERC frontier research grant, unless the existing project ends. (NB: According to the duration of the project fixed in the previous frontier research grant agreement, no more than two years after the call deadline)
These restrictions are specified in the ERC Work Programme 2018 (https://webgate.ec.testa.eu/ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/... ) and may be modified in future Work Programmes by the ERC Scientific Council in light of experience.
NB: As a team member, it is possible to participate in more than one ERC Grant.

Q: Under the ERC 2018 Proof of Concept (PoC) Grant, is it preferable to have a project of 12 or of 18 months?

A:

Where an ERC PoC proposal has initially indicated a duration of 12 months, during grant preparation, PIs are usually advised to go for a longer timespan (18 months), just in order to cope with eventual delays and always finish the project in an acceptable period of time, although the final decision will be with the Principal Investigator (PI). The reason is that under H2020, extensions of duration to PoC projects are typically not granted once the project has started.
It should also be noted that in case a PI opts for the 18 months duration, but the project’s activities are finished within 12 months (or any other month before the 18th), the costs cannot be claimed for reimbursement immediately. The PI will have to wait until the contractual end of the Grant in order to submit the Final Reports and cost claims (Article 20 of the GA).
More information can be found in the H2020 Model Grant Agreements for ERC Proof of Concept grants:http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/mga/erc/h2020-m...http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/mga/erc/h2020-m...

Q: Under an ERC 2018 Proof of Concept (PcC) project, are time sheets needed for the Principal Investigator?

A:

Yes, the time sheets are needed if the PI charges salary to the ERC.
All team members of a PoC project for which personnel costs are being charged should maintain time sheets of the hours worked on the project (see also Article 18.1 of the Annotated Model Grant Agreement).

Q: Under ERC 2018 PoC call, which is the general rule for Principal Investigator (PI) commitment?

A:

There is no minimum commitment percentage of the working time required to the PI applying for an ERC 2018 Proof of Concept (PoC) call. However, in the grant agreement, PIs must enter a minimum of their working time, as they are responsible for managing the ERC PoC project. It is essential that the cumulative percentage commitment that the PI spends on the ERC PoC action and on the main ERC StG/CoG/AdG Grant (if still ongoing) does not exceed 100%.
For more information please refer to the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: Under the ERC 2018 PoC call, can the related costs for establishing a company (i.e. accountant, notary) be considered eligible in the proposal?

A:

Yes, the related costs for establishing a company (i.e. accountant, notary costs) could be considered eligible, but only if the establishment of the company happens during the duration of the project and only if there is a need to bring a product on the market. The establishment of the company should not be an end in itself, it must be a mean to an end.
Hence, either the POC project will bring a finished product on the market (and this result will happen during the project lifetime), or the cost of establishing the company is not eligible. As this result can hardly be planned in advance, it would be advisable not to include this type of costs in the budget.

Q: Under call ERC 2018 PoC, can a Co-investigator from an ERC Advanced (AdG) funded project be eligible to submit a ERC PoC proposal as Principal Investigator (PI)?

A:

No, Co-investigators are not eligible for an ERC PoC Grant.
Only Principal Investigators (PIs) in research main grants (ERC StG, CoG or AdG Grants), as well as PIs and corresponding PI of Synergy Grants (SyG) are eligible to submit a proposal to the ERC PoC Call.
More information on the eligibility criteria for the PIs can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2018, in the section relevant to the call.

Q: Under call ERC 2018 PoC, can a spin-off company be the Host Institution ?

A:

Yes, submitting an application with a spin-off company as Host Institution is feasible, as long as it complies with the eligibility criteria for an eligible Host Institution defined in the ERC Work Programme 2018
The Host Institution (HI) of the ERC PoC proposal does not have to be the same as the HI of the main frontier research Grant.

Q: Under an ERC 2018 PoC, what are the reporting requirements of a project?

A:

In the ERC PoC Grants, given the shorter length, the project report is required only once, at the end of the project, and will combine the technical and financial aspects in one single document.
Article 20 of the H2020 ERC PoC Grant Agreement defines the reporting requirements.
The ERC POC report must be prepared and submitted online via the Participant Portal.

Q: Under ERC 2018 PoC, which type of feedback will I receive for my proposal during and after evaluation for the ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) call?

A:

ERC PoC 2018 proposals are evaluated on a 'Pass/Fail' basis on each of the evaluation criteria. The applicant receives the feedback on the outcome of the peer review evaluation in the form of an evaluation report. This indicates whether the proposal is retained for funding and provides the passed/failed status for each of the evaluation criteria, with corresponding comments given by the panel.
More information on the evaluation procedure can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2018, in the section relevant to the call.

Q: Under call ERC 2018 PoC, should the applicant provide the names and the Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the team members in the proposal?

A:

For the PoC 2018 Call, although it is not mandatory to provide the names of individual team members or their CVs, the PoC plan needs to include justification that the persons working on the tasks are well qualified for the purpose. The description of the team needs to be filled in the Part B – section3.
More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2018, in the section relevant to the call.

For the Proof of Concept 2018 Call, applicants submit the whole proposal that is evaluated in a single step by the peer reviewers.
For more information on the evaluation process, please refer to the ERC Work Programme 2018.

Q: Under ERC-2018 PoC call, can an applicant submit a proposal to the ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) call and also to one of the four main ERC Frontier Research calls (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced or Synergy)?

A:

Yes, an applicant can submit to the ERC PoC 2018 call and at the same time to one of the four main ERC frontier research calls (since the restrictions stated in the ERC Work Programme 2018 do not apply to PoC Grants).

Q: Under the ERC 2018 PoC call, are there any share or quota limitations per domain or discipline?

A:

There are no shares or quotas by domain or discipline for the ERC PoC 2018 call. No domain or field is excluded (*) and the possibility for innovation arising from the social sciences and humanities to apply for a PoC funding is fully recognised.
(*) As stated in the ERC Work Programme 2018: “Research proposals within the scope of Annex I to the Euratom Treaty, namely those directed towards nuclear energy applications, shall be submitted to relevant calls under the Euratom Framework Programme.”

Q: Under the ERC 2018 PoC call, if a proposal was not funded in the first deadline (cut-off-date), can it be resubmitted for the second or third deadline of the same call?

A:

No, as stated in the ERC Work Programme 2018, a Principal Investigator may submit only one application per call to the ERC Proof of Concept 2018 call.Important note: More than one Proof of Concept Grant (PoC) may be awarded per ERC funded frontier research project, but only one Proof of Concept project may be running at any one time for the same ERC frontier research project.

Q: For ERC projects, are costs charged by journal publishers for the provision of immediate open access to publications (article processing charges, APCs) eligible costs?

A:

Yes, these costs are eligible if they are incurred during the lifetime of the project and provided that they are in line with the requirements for direct costs as listed in Article II.14 of the General Conditions of the ERC Grant Agreement Single and Multi-Beneficiary.

Q: For ERC projects, if a grant is transferred from one host to another, which organisation is responsible for ensuring open access to publications based on work carried out at the first host institution?

A:

If the Grant Agreement contains a Special Clause 39 ERC, then the initial host institution is responsible for providing open access to those publications that have been published while it was the beneficiary. For any publication after the transfer of host institution, the new host institution is responsible as far as the deposit in a repository and the provision of open access is concerned, irrespective whether the publication is based on work carried out at the old or the new host institution.

Q: For ERC projects, why are the reporting periods for financial (every 18 months) and scientific (every 30 months) reports different and how are they linked?

A:

One of the specificities of the ERC Grant Agreement is the split of the reporting into two distinct sets of reporting periods, in order to diminish the administrative burden on the researchers:
-Scientific reports, usually after half of the project (30 months) and at the end of the project in Starting and Advanced Grants and two intermediate reports (usually every 24 months) and one at the end of the project in Synergy Grants. Scientific reports are submitted by the Principal Investigator on behalf of the Host Institution/beneficiary;
- Financial reports, usually every 18 months and at the end of the project. Financial reports are submitted by the Host Institution with a contribution from the Principal Investigator, as per General Conditions to the ERC Grant Agreement, Article II.3.1.b for Single or Article II.3.bis.1.b for Multi-beneficiary Grant Agreements.
Two different departments/units in the ERCEA follow the (two) separate reporting streams to independently ensure appropriate work progress, follow-up and monitoring of the project. The templates are sent via advance notice letter 15 days before the end of the reporting period (in order to ensure that the beneficiary uses the latest version available).
If the scientific report has been approved without conditions, the payment will be performed at the end of the next financial reporting period without the need of any additional scientific requirements (if no new scientific issues arise meanwhile). If the scientific report has been approved conditionally, at the end of the next financial reporting period, the payment will be subject to verification that the suggested scientific recommendations have been properly fulfilled in the meantime. If the scientific report has been rejected and a revised version of the report was requested, the payment at the forthcoming financial reporting period will be suspended, until a satisfactory revised scientific report is submitted and approved by the scientific department. If the scientific report has been rejected, the ERCEA may start the procedure for termination of the Grant Agreement.
Final reports submitted within the framework of the termination will be due 45 days after the decision on termination became definitive.
In the evaluation of scientific reports, the ERCEA Scientific Department may require sometimes additional experts review. In these cases the time to evaluate the reports and disburse payments can be suspended till the review is satisfactory.

Q: For ERC projects, is it possible to include the names of individual researchers in a Description of Work?

A:

ERCEA does not recommend, as a common practice, to include names of individual researchers. Exceptions can be requested and have to be motivated. However, a list of all team members will be requested together with each financial report.

Q: For ERC projects, how does the Guarantee Fund works?

A:

At the beginning of a ERC projects, 5% of the maximum contribution will be offset from the pre-financing and transferred to the Guarantee Fund as a financial contribution from the beneficiary. The Guarantee fund aims at covering financial risks and specifically non-reimbursement of amounts due by a beneficiary. At the end of a project, the beneficiary usually recovers its full contribution to the Guarantee Fund.

Q: In some countries, 'habilitation' is a scientific degree awarded to formally acknowledge the achievement of research independence. Are holders of this degree eligible to apply to the ERC Consolidator Grant 2017?

A:

According to the conditions of the ERC Consolidator Grant 2017 call, there is no eligibility restriction to holders of a 'habilitation'. The reference date used for calculation of the applicant's eligibility is the PhD award date or medical doctor degree award date.
For more information please consult the ERC policy on PhD and equivalent doctoral degrees in the ERC Work Programme 2017, Annex 2.

Q: ERC- 2017 PoC: Can an applicant submit to the ERC Proof of Concept call and also submit a proposal to one of the 3 main ERC Frontier Research calls (StG, CoG or AdG)?

A:

Yes, an applicant can submit to the ERC Proof of Concept 2017 call and at the same time to one of the 3 main ERC frontier research calls (since the restrictions stated in the ERC Work Programme 2017 do not apply to Proof of Concept grants).

Q: For a ERC 2017 Proof of Concept (PoC) grant, is it preferable to have a project of 12 or of 18 months?

A:

Where an ERC PoC proposal has initially indicated a duration of 12 months, during grant preparation Principal Investigators (PIs) are usually advised to go for a longer timespan (18 months) just in order to cope with eventual delays and always finish the ERC PoC project in an acceptable period of time, although the final decision will be with the PI. The reason is that under H2020, extensions of duration to PoC projects are typically not granted once the project has started. It should also be noted that in case a PI opts for the 18 months duration, but the project’s activities are finished within 12 months (or any other month before the 18th), the costs cannot be claimed for reimbursement immediately, but the PI will have to wait until the contractual end of the Grant in order to submit the Final Reports and cost claims (Article 20 of the GA).
More information can be found in the H2020 Model Grant Agreements for ERC Proof of Concept grants:
ERC POC mono-beneficiary MGA
ERC POC multi-beneficiary MGA

Q: For a European Research Council (ERC) 2017 Proof of Concept (PoC) grant, are timesheets needed for the Principal Investigator?

A:

Yes, the time sheets are needed if the PI charges salary to the ERC PoC action. All team members for which personnel costs are being charged should maintain timesheets of the hours worked on the project. See also Article 18.1 of the Annotated Model Grant Agreement.

Q: For the European Research Council (ERC) 2017 Proof of Concept (PoC) call, what is the general rule of Principal Investigator commitment?

A:

Although there is no minimum commitment percentage regarding the time that the Principal Investigator (PI) is required to work on the action, in the grant agreement the PI must enter a minimum of their working time, as the PI is responsible for managing the ERC PoC project. The cumulative percentage commitment that the PI spends on the ERC PoC action and on the main ERC StG/CoG/AdG grant (if still ongoing) must not exceed 100%.For more information please refer to the ERC Work Programme 2017.

Q: ERC-2017-PoC: In a Proof of Concept proposal, can the related costs for establishing a company (i.e. accountant, notary) be considered eligible?

A:

Yes, the related costs for establishing a company (i.e. accountant, notary) could be considered eligible, but only if the establishment of the company happens during the duration of the project and only if there is a need to bring a product on the market. The establishment of the company should not be an end in itself, it must be a mean to an end.Hence, either the POC project will bring a finished product on the market (and this result will happen during the project lifetime), or the cost of establishing the company is not eligible. As this result can hardly be planned in advance, it would be advisable not to include this type of costs in the budget.

Q: ERC 2017 PoC: Can a Co-investigator from a 2008-2011 European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant call be eligible to submit a ERC PoC proposal as Principal Investigator (PI)?

A:

No, Co-investigators (Co PI) are not eligible for an ERC Proof of Concept grant.
Only Principal Investigators (PI) in Research main grants (ERC Starting, Consolidator or Advanced grants), as well as PI and corresponding PI of Synergy grants are eligible to submit a proposal to the ERC Proof of Concept Call.
More information on the eligibility criteria for the Principal Investigator can be found in the ERC_Work_Programme_2017, section relevant to the call.

Q: ERC 2017 PoC: Can a spin-off company be the Host Institution for an ERC PoC proposal?

A:

Yes, submitting an application with a spin-off company as Host Institution is feasible, as long as it complies with the eligibility criteria defined in the ERC Work Programme 2017.
The Host Insitution (HI) of the ERC Proof of Concept proposal does not have to be the same as the Host Institution of the main frontier research grant.